Paying Over the Phone Using Your Card (2024)

FAQs

Is it okay to give your card details over the phone? ›

Only provide your card details if you called them.

Never make a credit card payment over the phone if a company calls you unexpectedly. Scammers attempt to steal your personal information by calling you and posing as a legitimate business.

Credit card transactions that you make over the phone have the same protection as those you make online or in person at a store. The law limits cardholders' liability to $50 under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) for any unauthorized transactions on your account so you will want to make sure you report them.

Should I share my CVV in person? Never give out your CVV when using your credit or debit card in person. Anyone asking for your CVV during an in-person transaction could be trying to steal your information. It's only safe to give your CVV number over the phone or on a secure site.

Protecting against credit card scams

Guard your details: Never give out or write down your bank details or PIN.

Installing malware or spyware on your device

This harmful software can steal sensitive data from your devices and share it with hackers. One common type of criminal software — called a keylogger — records everything you type. This includes credit card numbers, passwords, emails, and more, and sends them to the hacker.

Physical cards feature an identifying magnetic stripe, and information can be stolen from them rather easily if criminals tamper with a card reader by adding a skimmer. A digital wallet — is even more secure than a chip card because it doesn't use your actual card number for the transaction.

Chip-enabled credit cards

Instead of swiping your credit card to make a payment, you dip your card into the payment terminal instead. Sometimes, you may even be prompted to enter a PIN to verify card ownership. Credit cards that have a built-in EMV chip reduce fraud through tokenization.

With Tap to Phone (TTP), merchants anywhere can securely accept contactless payments on the near-field enabled Android and Apple smartphones they already own.

Can you share your card number and CVV on phone? ›

Avoid sharing sensitive information unless necessary. Be cautious in public places: If you must share your Credit Card information over the phone in a public place, be aware. Avoid discussing the details in crowded environments where others may overhear your conversation.

A fraudster can steal money from you with just your debit card number and CVV. In many cases, that's all the information they need to enter at checkout to make payments online. Any deduction from your bank account, whether a purchase or cash withdrawal, is money you lose.

Phone payments are often the most vulnerable to fraud so you have to take steps to protect your customers, as well as your business. Make sure you're compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) regulations when handling payment details and any confidential customer data.

Next, during the phone call, gather the necessary payment details from the customer, including their card number, expiry date, and CVV code. Ensure this process complies with PCI DSS guidelines to maintain customer data security.

Criminals can claim to be from your card issuer or bank and ask for your personal information. To this end, provide necessary card information only to merchants you've called directly. And before making any transactions, confirm that you've dialed the vendor's correct phone number.

Never provide your credit card information to representatives who call you unexpectedly. Criminals can claim to be from your card issuer or bank and ask for your personal information. To this end, provide necessary card information only to merchants you've called directly.

Are digital wallets safe? In general, digital wallets are considered much safer than using physical credit cards, which can be more easily lost or stolen.

You should never give your card or personal information over the phone unless it is a trusted source or you made the call. Someone calls, claiming to be from your bank and they need to verify your account information is a definite no. If this is the type of call, ask them to read to you what information they have.

Not just the speaker magnet, but most of the magnets inside phone cases and clasps are usually very weak. There's no risk of your phone case causing malfunction or demagnetizing your cards. This means that things like wallet phone cases and flip phone cases are safe to use alongside your credit card.